Webcomic /
Doc Rat

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Doc Rat is a FurryWeb Comic produced on weekdays by Jenner (a pseudonym of a practicing doctor in Australia).

The comic follows Dr. Benjamin "Ben" Rat and his family practice, with largely a Slice of Life theme. Events in the comic suggests it is located in the vicinity of Melbourne. It shows his interaction with his various patients. Since they are also different species of animals, this can be a source for much of its comedic fodder. There is also plenty of Australian humor, doctor humor, and dealings with Australia's Medicare universal healthcare system.

The main character is, obviously, a rat. The other main characters are Mary Scamper, his rabbit nurse, and Gizelle Thompson, his gazelle receptionist. There is also a rogue's gallery of regular patients which include koalas, numbats, kangaroos and a camel. Recently he married Daniella Hood, also a rat, who was previously his dentist and taekwondo instructor. Also listed is the local pharmacist, gorilla Phil Krubnuckle, though he's not featured as often.

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Jenner created Doc Rat in the 1990s and drew one-offs in various Australian medical journals as requested. He created the organized web comic in 2006.

NOTE: The comic's website was recently rebuilt, and currently the archives are MIA. Many of the links in this trope page will be broken. A team is prepared to administer needed Wiki Magic Love the moment the archives return.update As of February 13, 2016, Jenner's web maven, "Level_Head", has said it is taking a while getting archive-quality strips ready for the new system, so it will still be a while yet before the archives are re-populated much before 2014. As of July 2018, the archive has a gap from mid-September 2008 to early-May 2014. The series is being replayed on the fan forum, Cross Time Café, so some may be linked to their appearances on that forum until they show up on the website. New archive announced on February 14, 2019. It's populated through 2012, with the gap being 2013-2016.

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This webcomic contains examples of:

Adult Fear: Given the predatory nature of this webcomic (see: Crapsack World), this is ever-present. Both Daniella and Jasmine have lost children to predators. Daniella still has a fear of losing the ratlings she had with Ben.

Boss alpha Blutenstein's name means "bloodstone". Could be a Meaningful Name, referring to how his plan to stop the hunting of intelligent beings takes a lot of effort, i.e. "like trying to get blood from a stone".

The wolves' favorite swearword ("Scheiszgrrl" or variations thereof) is the german word for "shit" ending in a growl.

Bond Villain Stupidity: The muggers who attacked Ben and Danni could've gotten away with all of their things—including Ben's engagement ring he was preparing to give to Danni. But they decided they didn't want witnesses, so it crossed over with Bullying a Dragon and they ended up getting their tails kicked.

Jarrad: Jeez, mom, I don't know who my father was, but I'll bet he was a whole lot smarter than you. He just had to be.

Camp Gay: Pat, a dog, one of his patients. Not only pretty flamboyant, but also very nosy. Julian's boyfriend is more than a little campy as well. Pat's partner (also named Pat) on the other hand is a rather Manly GayDucati-racing tiger. And florist.

And this in a world in which there are apparently "tame" animals that are non-intelligent.

The Chessmaster: Lord Lockley is one of the rare (more or less) heroic examples. He expertly manipulates a whole lot of characters into doing exactly what he wants without apparent effort on his part. And to really drive the point home, he does play chess and uses chess metaphors a few times.

Cerebus Syndrome: Remember when the strip was just puns about medical conditions? That was quite a while ago.

Cerebus Rollercoaster: It periodically has a new batch of pun-based "gag of the day" strips between story arcs.

Conlang: Lapine, the Watership Down-inspired secret rabbit language has its own grammar and syntax structures.

Cool Car/Cool Bike: Pat the Dog and Pat the Tiger share a love for fast conveyances. And Ben has experienced both.

Dark Secret: Keeping from your girlfriend that you're married.details Ben had married someone when he was young, but she left him and moved to America.He actually forgot about it until he was ready to ask Daniella to marry him.

The Don: The wolf clans are entirely legitimate (with occasional lapses into grey areas), but they still very much adhere to the style tropes of The Mafia. It's therefore entirely unsurprising that Boss Alpha Manfred Blutenstein comes across as this trope.

Heroic Sacrifice: When Boss Alpha Blutenstein has to launch his rule change before he's ready (thanks in part to Ben's attempt at a Heroic Sacrifice), he is immediately challenged by members of his pack. His son Alfon comes to his rescue by issuing his own challenge, which takes precedence, and losing, therefore settling the matter. For his efforts, Alfon ends up dishonored and outcast, a Fate Worse than Death in wolf society.

High-Class Glass: Lord Lockley wears one. Comes with being very high up in the rabbit hierarchy and living in a huge mansion.

Lame Pun Reaction: With several cast regulars (particularly Ben himself and recurring patient Mr. Fuzz) being notable Pungeon Masters, every now and then you get one so bad even the other characters acknowledge its lameness.

Never Trust a Hair Tonic: Mr Pigg complains to the chemist that the tonic he'd purchased which promised to "add body to your hair" caused him to sprout hair everywhere. Turned out he'd read the label upside down; it actually said "adds hair to your body".

Daniella: Mr. Rat...can I call you Winston? Winston: That's nice. Daniella: What's your trade? Winston: Tax planner. Daniella: You old rascal. Can I call you Dad? Winston: Sure can. And if you stick with my son Ben, he'll make you a mother of some extraordinary children. Daniella:Ohhh... Dad! Ben: He's never done that before!

Ben: What happens now? Daniella: Well, now they've taken what they want, they'll leave, and no-one gets hurt. (the muggers approach Ben and Daniella) Ben: That's not what's happening. Daniella: GOD, GET READY TO FIGHT! THIS IS REAL!

The first time sees Danni worrying Ben is going to break up with her, when it turns out he's going to pop the question. She realizes this when they get mugged on the way there, and she discovers what was among his effects:

After they get married, their second attempt to go to Mondo Venezio succeeds. They discuss a few things, and Danni glosses over a couple past children (which we'd learn more about later). The next morning, she ends up with morning sickness, leading directly to them finding out she's pregnant.

Their third attempt to go to Mondo Venezio is interrupted when they end up having to intervene with a situation involving Jasmine and Flopsy.

The fourth time, Ben is refused a reservation because he had accrued two no-shows. Flopsy finds out, and pulls some strings with Lord Lockley to get them an all-expenses-paid first-class dinner night at the restaurant.

Serious Business: Played with. "Secret Bunny Business" is initially set up as a running joke following this trope (with Ben thinking it's all about rabbits taking their sex lives way too seriously) but turns out to actually be very, very serious business indeed that ties strongly into several of the strip's more dramatic storylines.

Sexy Discretion Shot: Repeatedly, since the strip often deals with adult themes but tries very hard to remain safe-for-work.

Readers have thought that it could be to the actor◊, but the author says he hadn't heard of the actor when naming the character.

To Astérix in this scene. Not only is the brawl very reminiscent of the gauls' usual amusements, two of the characters are clearly channeling Fulliautomatix and Cacofonix there.

Simon the teenage wolf's new Pack Name is "Quarrydog"...a double reference to The Beatles: Before they settled on their final band name, they were known for a while as first "The Quarrymen" and then "Johnny and the Moondogs". It gets a lampshade hung on it by Simon himself who notes that "it sounds like a rock group".

True Love Is Boring: Daniella was concerned during their courtship that Ben's seeming lack of desire to have sex with her was a sign that their relationship was going south. As it turns out, Ben simply didn't see sex as a pre-requisite for them to develop a deeper relationship. They finally had sex after they became engaged.

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